WoW Forever Rulesets and Two-Part Names Explained

WoW Forever does not have realms. When you create a character you pick a ruleset, and you give the character a two-part name. Both choices matter more than they sound, because you cannot switch a character's ruleset later.

The rulesets

Blizzard describes each ruleset as a broad player ecosystem rather than a single realm. Hardcore arrives sometime after launch.

What you cannot change

• You cannot switch rulesets. Playing under a different ruleset means creating a new character.
• You can only group inside your ruleset. Grouping, dungeons and raids are limited to players in the same ruleset. Horde and Alliance cannot group together either.
• Battlegrounds can mix. Battlegrounds may include players from other rulesets, except Hardcore.

Faction rules

On the PvP ruleset you can create characters for only one faction. Once you make an Alliance character there, you cannot make a Horde one. Normal, Roleplaying and Hardcore allow both factions. If you are still choosing, our Alliance vs Horde guide helps.

Hardcore is its own bubble

Hardcore characters stay in an enclosed ecosystem. Hardcore does not share Collections or Legacy Points, and progress from other rulesets does not flow into it. If a Hardcore character dies, it can move to another ruleset, including PvP.

What is shared across your account

Collections and Legacy Points are account-wide across rulesets, with the Hardcore exception above. Read more about Legacy perks.

Two-part names

Every character has a first name and a second name. Together they form the full name.

• The full name must be unique within your region, not within a realm.
• Two characters can share one part, such as the same first name, as long as the full combination differs.
• Both parts are checked together, so splitting a restricted word across the two parts does not make it valid.
• Names that impersonate Blizzard or the WoW team, or that break the in-game naming rules, are not allowed.

You can choose whether you see other players' full names or only first names. To hide your own second name in the game world, open Options, then Nameplates, and tick My Secondary Name. It still appears in chat.

Name reservation

Eligible pack owners can reserve names from 27 October to 3 November. It is first come, first served, so have a few combinations ready. If a name is taken you can pick another or use the in-game random name generator. More on this in our beta access guide and the launch checklist.

Which should you pick?

Normal is the safe default if you are new to Forever. Choose PvP only if you want the risk and are comfortable with a single faction, and pick Roleplaying if you want that community. Not sure about your class yet? Try the class picker first.